Prospective memory: A neuropsychological study

To examine the neuropsychology of prospective remembering, older adults wer e divided preexperimentally into 4 groups on the basis of their scores on 2 composite measures: one assessing frontal lobe function and the other asse ssing medial temporal lobe function. The groups reflected the factorial com bination of high and low functioning for each neuropsychological system, an d they were tested on an event-based laboratory prospective memory task. Hi gh-functioning frontal participants showed better prospective remembering t han low-functioning frontal participants. There was no significant differen ce in prospective memory performance attributable to medial temporal functi oning. The results support the theoretical notion that frontal lobe process es play a key role in prospective remembering. Discussion focuses on the pa rticular components of prospective memory performance that frontal lobes mi ght mediate.